Invictus Maneo
by ExplosionsAreSuperFun
Summary: Aida Baccaro, the daughter of Elias, and quite possibly Dominic's new target. Throw in some action, adventure, and the good ole Team Machine and what could possibly go wrong? Slight AU.
1. Chapter 1

New York, the city that never sleeps. Lights flashed and music blared from the different clubs adorning the streets.

A young woman walked down the street, her blonde hair bouncing with every step she took.

No one really noticed her. She was just one of the many faces in the crowd.

The woman was trying to hold back the tears that she had held back for hours, but now threatened to spill.

She walked into a well known tavern and sat at the bar. The young woman sighed and looked around.

To others it would appear that she was waiting for her friends to get here, impatient they were taking so long.

But it was much more than that...

"Aida."

A young man said, with dark eyes and even darker hair, and sat beside the girl.

Aida turned to him, "Tony."

Tony offered a small sad smile and ordered two shots of whiskey.

As soon as the glass was on the table, Aida downed it, despite the burning sensation it made in her throat.

Aida turned to Tony.

"He's gone. I can't believe he's gone." She whispered quietly.

Tony didn't answer and at first she thought he didn't hear her.

"I know." The young man said in a steady voice.

Aida took a deep breath,"I'm sorry." She whispered again, bringing her eyes to meet Tony's.

"Thanks."

Aida knew it didn't numb the pain. The pain of loss, the pain of emptiness. Aida's own mother, Annalise Baccaro, died of cancer when Aida was eight.

Aida knew it wouldn't help... But she had said it anyway.

A rebel tear escaped and trailed down her face. It was followed by another and another and another after that. She was not openly sobbing. Aida was just letting the tears fall silently one by one.

She tried to stop, but her eyes proved rebellious.

One moment she is sitting on the stool and the next she is on her feet, her head pressed into Tony's chest.

Aida wished she could stop, Anthony wasn't her father. She was suppose to be comforting Tony, not the other way around. His father had died, not hers. At least not yet.

Aida took a deep breath and stepped back from Tony.

To other people, Tony would have looked perfectly fine. But Aida saw past him.

Aida knew he was hurting, but big bad Tony wasn't suppose to cry.

Aida laid a bill on the bar and pulled Tony out of the tavern. They walked in silence until they came up to a deserted building.

They entered it and walked past the guards. Aida led Tony up the stairs and pulled him into a room.

She turned on the lights and Tony sat on the couch.

Aida sat beside him and placed a hand on his knee.

"Tony it's okay." The young woman said moving her hand to intertwine with his.

He looked at her and tears brimmed his eyes.

Aida didn't say anything, she just sat there as he cried. Her fingers intertwined with his.

When Tony stopped, he squeezed her hand, as if to see if she was still there.

Aida gave a gentle squeeze.

"Sono qui. I'm here, I'm here."

He gave her a small smile and dried his eyes.

Aida squeezed his hand once more before standing up.

"I must go meet with my father."

Tony nodded.

"I'll see you in the morning." With that Aida exited the room and went to her father.

"Papa?"

Aida asked knocking on the door to his office gently.

"Come in." Came the muffled answer.

Aida opened the door and stepped in.

Her father was looking out the window onto the lighted streets.

Aida walked up to her father and stood beside him.

A wrinkle was in his brow and Aida knew her father was thinking hard about the events of today.

She rested her hand on his shoulder.

Elias sighed and removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes.

He replaced the glasses and looked to his daughter. He smiled and hugged her.

Aida buried her head in his chest and took a deep breath. Her father kissed her head and pulled her back to examine her face.

"Aida."

"Papa."

Elias offered a small smile that was soon replaced with a slightly hardened expression.

"Darling, as you know there is a war raging right now. One against me and Dominic, leader of the Brotherhood."

Aida nodded.

"I want you to stay safe. I have already lost someone."

Elias placed his hand on his daughter's cheek.

"I don't want to lose you."

Aida nodded and noticed her eyes starting to water. She choked backed the tears.

"What of Tony?" She asked.

Elias sighed, "Tony wishes to burn the Brotherhood to ashes, and I cannot stop him. He wishes to work with me."

"But, Papa, he-"

Elias sighed,"You don't understand, Aida. I can't stop him, he will either work with me or try on his own. The only way I can keep him safe is with me."

Aida sighed and nodded.

"Now I also need to keep you safe. I will have two of my men guard you at all times."

Elias put his hands on his daughter's shoulders,"Mia figlia, I love you."

Aida embraced her father,"I love you too."

Elias smiled and kissed his daughters head. He would kill Dominic, slowly and painfully. For Anthony.

**A/N:**

**Sono qui: I'm here.**

**Mia figlia: My daughter.**

**Please correct me if I am wrong, I don't speak Italian. I just looked these up on google.**

**I don't own POI or any of it's characters. I do own my OCs. **

**Please R&R **

**~EASF out**


	2. Chapter 2

Aida groaned as sunlight poured in her window and landed on her face. She rolled over and closed her eyes, hoping she would fall back into sleep's embrace. Aida slowly felt herself slipping to sleep when a beeping erupted into the air. Muttering curses under her breath, the girl sat up and answered her phone.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, sunshine." A smooth voice says, laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" Aida says standing up.

"Oh nothing, babe, it's nothing at all."

"Do you need anything, Justin?"

Justin laughed. Aida frowned.

"Does this mean breakfast is cancelled?"

Aida's eyes widened with realization and it was if a jolt of electricity went through her. "No, no, no! We're fine. I'm actually heading out the door." She lied, pulling on jeans.

Justin chuckled, "Ok babe I'll be waiting."

Aida grabbed a shirt of her floor and slipped it on.

She hurried through the apartment, grabbing things that were littered here and pulled her hair into a ponytail and stepped out of the apartment, purse in hand. The blonde shut locked the door and turned around. She nearly jumped out of her skin when two men greeted her.

"Good morning, Miss Baccaro," one said, in a deep, husky voice.

Aida, hand on her heart, took a deep breath.

"Father certainly wasn't kidding." She muttered under her breath. Aida placed a smile on her face, "Good morning . . ."

The one that had greeted her spoke," I am Evan, this is Sean. We are to accompany you, per your father's orders."

Aida examined them. Evan looked to be mid forties. He had receding black hair and squinty eyes. Sean on the other hand . . .

Well, if Aida's relationship with Justin went downhill, she would definitely give Sean a call. Sean offered a small smile that Aida returned.

"I was just about to meet with someone, will you be escorting me?" Aida asked.

Evan nodded.

Aida started walking towards the stairs, she heard heavy footsteps following behind her and she knew they were coming. They walked down the stairwell in an awkward silence that Aida really wished wasn't so uncomfortable. When they made it outside Aida saw a black SUV and knew it was their car.

Very original.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and got in the car. Her bodyguards got in and Evan turned his head to her, as if asking for instructions.

"Oh, right. Take me to the coffee shop off of the broad walk."

Evan nodded and pulled away from the curb.

"Oh my god," Aida cried as she saw her boyfriend.

"What happened?" She asked, looking up into his warm brown eyes.

A smile played on Justin's lips as he shrugged. "What this?" He asked, pointing to the sling on his right arm, "Oh it's nothing."

Aida scoffed, "Yeah, sure. What the heck happened?"

Justin sighed. "I- uh, might have fallen from a tree. . ."

Aida raised an eyebrow.

"From twenty feet in the air."

"What!" The blonde shrieked. "What in bloody blue blazes were you thinking?!"

Justin rubbed the back of his neck, "Well you know how these truth or dare games are."

Aida frowned.

"You are so grounded."

Justin smirked, "Yes, mother."

Aida's frown deepened and she hit him lightly on his chest. Justin feigned pain. Soon his smile returned, but faltered quickly as he noticed something.

"Um, who are they?" Justin asked, nodding his head to Evan and Sean, who were standing near the door about ten feet away.

Aida sighed, "My father has me under guard."

Justin nodded and guided her to a table. They ordered and Aida drifted into space as the weight from yesterday fully fell on her. Aida looked out the window. People walked on the sidewalk. They were probably on their way to work, or going home after an exhausting night. They were completely ignorant to the war raging on their streets, totally ignorant to the large amount of blood already spilled. They were just living their lives, trying to get to one day to another.

_How many more will die? How many innocents will perish? _ Aida thought as a woman passed by, a troubled look on her face. She looked right at Aida, but never stopped walking. Aida quickly looked away and fixed her eyes on the clock on the wall, but she still felt the woman's eyes on her.

"Aida."

She was pulled out of her thoughts and looked into Justin's brown eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked, taking her hand into his. She looked down at their interlocked hands. His dark skin contrasted against her pale skin.

Aida smiled, "I'm fine." She lied, fully knowing she was anything, but fine.

"Aida, I-"Justin never got a chance to finish, because at that moment the waitress came with their food.

"Thank you," Aida said as her plate was set n front of her. The waitress smiled, and walked off. "So, what were you saying?" Aida asked staring down at her pancakes, picking at the eggs on her plate.  
>"Oh, it was nothing."<p>

Aida looked up into Justin's warm brown eyes, something flashed in his eyes, but before she could register what it was, it was gone. Aida examined his face. She now noticed a bruise on his cheek, which his dark skin had hidden from her. A few scratches adorned his face as well, but Aida didn't ponder on it. He did fall out of a tree. These things are expected, but Aida couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

The girl smiled softly, and Justin smiled back. They started eating when Justin brought up the one thing she didn't want to even think about.

"Did you hear about the bombing?"

Aida wanted to ignore the question, to pretend Justin didn't just ask something. She just wanted to push it away, shove in a box and ship away. She wanted to pretend that the man she had considered her uncle was still alive and well and back with her father. That they were working on some way to eradicate the Brotherhood. But the truth hurts.

"Yeah, I, uh- heard about that." Aida said quietly, wishing that Justin would quickly change subjects.

"It's just awful, isn't it? The news said that eight guys died in the explosion. Did you know anyone in it?"

Aida almost winced; apparently Justin wasn't interested in dropping the subject. "No," she lied, her voice perfectly calm despite the storm raging inside. And if she was a tree in a hurricane, she was bending so much she was about to snap right here and now.

Justin nodded, seeming satisfied with her answer, and spoke no more of the subject, which she was grateful for. They continued their meal, joking and teasing another. Aida almost forgot about yesterday's happenings . . . almost.

They walked down the street, hand in hand, saying little comments about the things they saw. Justin glanced down at his watch and smiled sadly before looking at Aida. "I have to go." Aida smiled and squeezed his hand. He squeezed back gently and kissed her lightly on the lips. Aida wrapped her arms around him, when Justin made a small noise of discomfort. Aida pulled back, regretfully, from their kiss.

"You're hugging a bit too tight." Justin said smiling.

You would have thought someone had told her he had Ebola, the way she jumped back from him. "Sorry." Aida whispered, sheepishly. Justin just smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Be safe." He whispered. Aida smiled, and felt her heart sink at their departure. She turned and walked toward her bodyguards, who were standing a respectful distance away.

"Aida, hold up!" Hearing her name she turned and smiled seeing Justin running to catch up with her. She smiled and waited for him to catch up. "I don't think we should tell your dad, about us, not yet at least. I still have some stuff I want to do before we meet."

Aida nodded, she never really was the type to lie to her father, but Justin must have a good reason for asking this of her.

Justin smiled, squeezed her arm gently and turned to go. Aida smiled at his departing form before turning back and walking to her guards. She felt her heart sink and realized she would have to go home, where she couldn't pretend she didn't know any of those people who died in the bombing. She would have to go back to her father, and to Tony. Aida suddenly longed for that bottle of wine she kept in her apartment. Anthony had been like a second father. When her father was locked up, Anthony took care of her. He had always treated her as his own.

By the time she got to her apartment, Aida was ready to cry. She slumped on her couch and let the tears fall, one by one. She stayed like that for about two hours, just crying, sometimes sobbing, and sometimes silently letting the tears fall. She cried until there were no more tears for her to cry. Aida stood up and walked into her kitchen. She would really like that wine now.

**So, what do you guys think? Aida has a boyfriend, what did you guys think of him? Tell me your thoughts, positive or negative. I posted another one-shot earlier today, so check it out! :) Love you guys! You guys are great! Here have some cookies: (::) (::) (::) **

**:P**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Basically this is a drunk Aida chapter. It's just a filler chapter, and don't worry. The action is to come soon, my pretties. So very soon...**

Aida didn't know how much time had pasted or if she was suppose to be somewhere. All she knew is that this wine tasted quite good. She swished the remaining liquid in her glass, and then drank it. The liquid traveled down her throat and the buzz that was filling her head was a pleasant sensation. Wanting more, she reached for the bottle, and went to pour another glass. A loud, muffled voice came from outside, seconds before Tony barged in and Aida nearly dropped the bottle out of surprise. Aida glanced down as some of the red liquid came in contact with her white rug. _Hmm,_ she thought, _too bad. _

Not entirely sure why, Aida smiled at Tony. She continued pouring more wine into her glass and took a sip. Tony ripped the glass from her grasp, downed it in one fluid motion. He set it on the table and looked down at her in distaste.

"I wasn't done with that." Aida spat, scowling at Tony.

"Tough," Tony said glaring at Aida's form, sprawled out on the couch. "You have locked yourself up here for the past four hours. You missed dinner. You didn't show up for the meeting with Bruce, which sent your father into a mad frenzy to find you. Your guards are in hot water as we speak. We also tried calling you," Tony picked up her phone which was thrown on the ground and tossed it on the coffee table, "but, apparently you were too busy getting drunk." He motioned his hand toward the wine bottle.

Aida's scowl deepened, she stood up from the couch and grabbed the wine bottle and headed toward the kitchen. "I am not drunk." She huffed, then stumbled, which, unfortunately did not help her argument. Tony steadied her, despite the obvious distaste written across his face."Yeah, yeah, sure you're not." Tony huffed. He pried the wine bottle out of Aida's hand and set it on the counter.

Aida jerked herself away from him. She glared at him, anger rising within her every second that he stood there.

How _dare _he think that he can just barge in here, and tell her what to do? Oh, heck _no_. Aida thought defiantly drank out of the bottle Tony had placed on the counter. He ripped the bottle from her grasp and set it back on the counter. "You need to stop." Tony said blankly, concern crossing his features for the first time since he arrived.

"You're not my mother! And what do you care?" Aida yelled, anger bubbling. It crossed her mind that the alcohol was clouding her judgment, but she pushed it aside. "And what the heck are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be back at your place, mourning or something?" The words tumbled from her mouth and Aida winced, instantly sobering up a little. You really don't have a filter when you are drunk.

The muscles in Tony's jaw visibly tightened and he took a deep breath. Plucking the bottle off the counter, he shoved it into Aida's hands. "Here, you're right. Drink up. Get good and drunk. I don't even care anymore."

He turned and made his way to the door

"Tony, don't I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I-"Aida called after him, but her cry fell upon deaf ears. The door closed, signifying Tony had left. Aida sighed. She looked down at the bottle in her hand. She stared at it for a moment before pouring herself another drink. _Ah, what the heck. _She thought taking a drink. It was going to be a long night.

Aida woke with a start. Voices filled the air and Aida's heart was beating hard. She glanced around her room and sighed when she realized she must have left the TV on. Her head was throbbing and the girl fell back on her pillows. She moaned and pressed a pillow over her head, hoping the pain would fade, but much to her disappointment, it didn't.

The happenings of last night flooded into her head and Aida groaned. Why did she have to be so stupid? Aida sighed and aimlessly, threw a pillow across the room.

"Well, hello to you too."

Aida shot up and saw Tony, leaning on her doorframe, as if nothing had happened at all. Aida opened her mouth to try to form some sort of apology, but quickly closed it. The words were refusing to form a complete sentence in her head.

Tony walked into the room and Aida swung her feet off the bed. The cool floor connected with her feet, sending a chill up her spine.

"Tony- I-" The girl struggled with her words as she tried to stand, but her legs wobbled beneath her and struggled to hold her weight. Aida took a step towards Tony, and realized a second to late, that she wasn't going to make it that far. Her legs cried mutiny and gave way. She descended towards the floor and squeezed her eyes shut, expecting the impact of the cool hardwood on her face.

Warm, strong arms wrapped around her and she opened her eyes. Tony steadied her and Aida gave a small, sheepish smile. He smiled in return and held her against his chest. Their faces mere inches apart. The treacherous thought of closing the gap danced through Aida's head, but she quickly pushed it away. What the heck was she thinking? Or more importantly, _why_ was she thinking that? Perhaps the alcohol wasn't fully out of her system yet.

"Tony,-" Aida started off, unsure of the words she was scrambling to use.

Tony quickly hushed her, bringing his finger to rest on her lips. "Finger on lips," He said quietly, cracking a smile at the reference. Aida smiled and replaced his finger with hers.

"It's ok, not apology needed." He said in a voice that almost qualified as a whisper. Aida started to protest, but he pressed his finger against his lips and raised his eyebrows. Aida sighed in mock irritation and complied. Tony smirked.

"I don't need an apology. Just promise me to be careful, okay?"

Aida could feel his warm breath dance across her skin, and it sent a shiver down her spine. _Stop it!_ She commanded, but the rebel part of her body disobeyed. Aida could just see it dancing around her head, taunting, "_You can't make me! Na na na na na na!" _

Aida took a deep breath, _I am never drinking again. Ever._ She resolved to herself, but that was one resolution that wasn't going to last long.

Aida nodded, answering Tony's question. "I'll try." She added, smiling widely.

Tony rolled his eyes and pushed her away playfully, smiling. But it didn't last long as he realized his error and his eyes widened as Aida fell to the ground with a shriek.

Aida's head connected with the ground with a loud, _Thunk._ The pain that was previously in her head was now intensified and she cried out in pain.

Tony scurried to her side, "Oh my god, I am so sorry!"

Aida pushed herself up and groaned. Uttering apologies, Tony helped her up and Aida crawled back into bed. Burrowing down into her bed, Aida sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. Sleep, that's what she needed., some good ole' rest and relaxation. Her mind started to drift and her senses started to fade as she felt the tendrils of sleep wrap around- "Here's some aspirin." Tony's voice broke through her mind.. Slowly, Aida sat up and blinked.

_When did he leave to go get aspirin?_

Aida never remembered Tony leaving her side, or even moving slightly for that matter, but here he was; aspirin in one hand, a glass of water in the other. Surely, she wasn't _that _tired. Sighing, Aida grabbed the pills and swallowed them and took the glass of water from Tony. Aida didn't realize how parched she was until the water flooded her mouth. She just wanted more, and more. It was almost like an addicting drug and all too soon the glass was empty, leaving Aida wishing that there was more.

"Do you want some more water?" Tony asked quietly. Aida shook her head, "I'm good, thank you." She lied, not wanting to cause Tony anymore trouble. She buried herself beneath the blankets and closed her eyes, "Thank you." She mumbled, not sure if Tony could even hear her. The dull throbbing in the back of her head receding ever so slightly and sleep wrapped herself around Aida. The girl slipped into a peaceful sleep and escaped reality for a little while longer.

Today was going to be one of those unproductive days.

**A/N: Shout out to my lovely reviewers! I wouldn't have updated if it weren't for you! I just couldn't get happy with this chapter, but here it is... Ugh, I might be persuaded into updating... *wink, wink* So, leave reviews! Thanks guys! And that is a wrap- See ya next time!**

**~EASF**


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